The state of Indiana has hired a public relations firms to strengthen its image as “a welcoming place to live, visit and do business.” The ‘damage control’ is occurring just weeks after a national outcry over its discriminatory religious freedom bill.

National criticism descended upon Indiana after its Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) – before it was revised – was understood to have allowed businesses to discriminate against gay, lesbian and transgender customers on religious grounds. The bill incurred national condemnation, with state governors in Connecticut and New York, as well as the mayor of Washington, DC, banning state-funded travel barring revisions to the law.